Two Worlds Collide
by Devin Inkshadow
Summary: Coffee and books, that's how Adeline and Spencer meet. Both often found in their own worlds, what happens when they find that their worlds have suddenly collided together? Will Spencer be able to get over the love he lost? What about the insecurities that he didn't know he had? Rating subject to change as chapters are posted.
1. Chapter 1

**_Thank you for reading. This is my first Criminal Mind's fanfiction, so please bare with me as I work out the kinks. As we all know, a few members have changed periodically throughout the series. As far as I'm planning, at the moment, this will be with any characters seen during the time where Alex Blake was a member._**

**_Updates: I will probably update sporadically and for that I will apologize ahead of time. I have a lot going on in my life currently and use writing as I kind of outlet and distraction. So while I will try to update on a regular basis, don't be surprised if you don't see a new chapter for a few days or weeks. If it exceeds a week you are welcome to message me and check to see where I'm at with updates, just please don't be rude about it._**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds in any way, shape, or form. Please give credit where credit is due and to the proper people and establishments. This disclaimer applies to all future chapters within the story._**

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**Chapter One**

Tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear, Adeline ducked into the coffee shop that was tucked in between two larger businesses. It wasn't a large establishment, a little Mom and Pop shop that a few loyal customers and was visited at times by busy shoppers looking for a quick fix and unable to wait to get to the Starbucks just up the street. Even though the menu wasn't extensive, it was her favorite place to go for a good cup of coffee and a relaxed atmosphere.

As was usual, the one of the owners greeted her warmly by name with a kind smile. It was the type of greeting that had her coming back to the place, a greeting from someone who considered her important and reminded her of family. It helped that they had some of the best coffee too.

There was a small line of two people already there, so she got behind the last person in line to wait her turn. While she waited she studied the person in front of her, a habit that she picked up in her youth when she had nothing else to do.

The person in front of her was a man with shaggy brown hair. He didn't seem to hold to the current fashion trends that she saw many guy's taking too. Instead he wore a pair of dark grey slacks, a button down white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a black sweater vest. The image was very professional, in a nerdy kind of way, except that he wore a pair of converse and she could see a gun safely holstered at his waist. On the opposite side of the gun, he had a tan satchel bag slung over his shoulder. He didn't strike her as a gun enthusiast, and the way he glanced around the room made her think law enforcement of some kind. However his dress and thin body made her wonder about that assessment.

The person in front of the man moved off with their coffee and the line shuffled forward, the mystery man up to order. "May I have a large regular coffee with room for sugar?"

His voice wasn't overly masculine like some guy's and his speech was carefully spoken, no mincing of words or slurring of words together. He was polite, a change from the norm as well, even when talking to someone who was serving him.

The shop owner quickly filled the man's order and gave him his total before turning to her. "Your usual, dear?"

Smiling, Adeline nodded and started to fish her wallet out. "That would be lovely. How is the husband, Charlotte? It doesn't seem too busy yet, but I suppose it's still a little too early for shoppers to really be out hitting the stores around here yet."

Charlotte, the one of the owners of the shop, laughed lightly and nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's about right. With schooling having started up not too long ago most of the customers are coming later in the day since they have to see their kids off to school or the like. I figure it will start to get busier here in the next hour or so, especially since that one fancy clothing store is suppose to be having that big sale going on. Henry is okay, he has his follow up appointment with the doctor today, but they have confirmed that he's cancer free and will recover from the treatments. It's a relief, I can tell you, I don't know what I would do without that man."

Putting some spare cash into the tip jar, Adeline couldn't help but let out a relieved laugh at the news. While Charlotte and Henry weren't family, she did consider them friends and was glad to hear that everything was working out. Henry had been diagnosed with cancer late the year before and the two of them had been battling it together from the get go. She had been awestruck with how the couple had taken the news, she'd seen so many people break down when told that they or a loved one had cancer. The two of them, though, had just smiled and looked at it as another challenge to overcome and while she was sure they struggled more than they let on, they'd been strong and came out on top.

"You tell Henry that I'm glad to hear the good news and that I eagerly await his return. I have some more horror students to laugh with him about when he gets back; I'm keeping a list so he won't miss out on any of the stories." She pulled out the correct change for her coffee from her wallet and handed it over to Charlotte in exchange for the cup. Unlike the to-go cups, Charlotte handed her a wide mouthed dark blue heavy mug that she used for orders that were going to be drank in shop. Yet another thing she loved about the little coffee shop.

After exchanging a few more words, Adeline took her coffee and went to the corner where she normally sat. The table offered her a good view of the flow of traffic throughout the shop and a bit of privacy as she worked. There was only one other table next to it, which was normally empty as it wasn't considered prime seating. However, this time the man from the line was sitting there, reading a thick volume.

Moving carefully, she set her coffee down at her usual table, trying to keep from looking over at the man, and settled into the chair. Pulling out her laptop, she got set up, but was quickly distracted by the sound of pages being quickly flipped next to her. The noise wouldn't have normally caught her attention if it wasn't for the rate they were being flipped. She'd have thought he wasn't actually reading the book in his hands if it wasn't for the fact that she saw his eyes moving quickly and finger skimming the page.

Unable to help herself, she watched the man for a few moments. His eyes never strayed from the pages of the book he was reading like many peoples. Unlike most people, he was fully focused on the book and only the book. The sound of the door chime didn't seem to bother him, or the low tones of Charlotte and the other customers. Not even the hissing of the coffee machine seemed to draw his eyes away. It was as if he was from a different time when books were big and reading was prevalent. However, she couldn't fathom him being older than herself, late twenties, and even her generation had a hard time focusing on books.

Unable to help herself, Adeline leaned forward and tapped sharply on the table, finally brining the man's attention away from the book as he gazed in a startled fashion at her.

Smiling sheepishly, she motioned to the book in his hand. "I couldn't help but notice that you were really interested in that book and was wondering what book it is since you seemed so absorbed in it."

The man blinked slightly, glancing down at the book and then back to her as if he was a fish out of water and didn't know what to say. Adeline started to feel as if she'd done something wrong, having interrupted him, until he finally spoke up, though with much less confidence than he had when ordering his drink.

"Oh…um…it's the complete works of Tolstoy. He's a 19th century author who wrote mostly Realism, a couple of his books are considered to be some of the finest works even by today's standards. Ah…most people know of his book War and Peace."

He seemed ready to continue babbling on nervously when Adeline interrupted excitedly. "Oh! I prefer his other long work, Anna Karenina, but am also fond of his novella The Kreutzer Sonata. I hadn't realized they released a book with all of his works in it, though I can't imagine why it hadn't occurred to me to at least look. While I can't say he's my favorite author – honestly who can pick one? – I would definitely say that I much prefer his work when it comes to the Realism style of writing, especially for the 19th century."

Her excited rush of words seemed to have caught the man's attention as he closed the book and turned more towards her with an interested look. "Not many people like to read books from the 19th century unless it's for some kind of class."

Adeline shrugged slightly and sat back into her chair more, getting comfortable. "I can believe that, my students often bemoan the books that I choose for them to read, but honestly some of the best works came from earlier years. I read a lot, though, and found a love of what people call the classics early on. I think there is more sustenance in the books written back then than most new books, though you can find some really good ones that are more recently published as well. They are just few and far between."

The man nodded in agreement with her statement, but seemed to have caught onto one part of her statement more than others. "Students, that means that you're a teacher then?"

He seemed genuinely interested, which surprised her. It wasn't the normal reaction she got when she started to babble about books or mentioned students. Some people would be interested in the student part, but most would tune it out as soon as she started in on the literature part. It seemed to go hand in hand for most people and caused them to lose interest.

Tucking the stray strand of hair back behind her ear, she nodded slightly. "Yes, that's correct. I'm actually a Literature Professor for Penn State, and before you ask how, I only teach online classes. My family is here so I didn't want to relocate. What about you? It's not often you see someone casually reading works by Tolstoy."

The man seemed surprised at the change of topic, but this time easily flowed with it unlike when she interrupted him, seeming to be more at ease. "Oh...I work in the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. We are brought into cases by local police to help solve cases that they are struggling with. My mom use to be a Literary Professor though, which is where I got my affinity for reading I suppose. How long have you been teaching?"

Adeline blushed slightly at the question and cleared her throat. There was a number of reasons that she'd tried to switch the topic onto the man and this was one of them. She wasn't use to getting into any kind of "deep" conversation with people and when she did she normally either scared them away or it was so uncomfortable that she made excuses to leave suddenly. She was on the verge of doing just that when she remembered that she'd been the one to open the can of worms to begin with. If she'd only just held her curiosity for a few more minutes the man might have left the shop none the wiser about her or her curiosity over his book.

Clearing her throat, she shrugged slightly. "Five years or so, I guess. I was somewhat of a prodigy I guess, ended up with a PhD in English of all things along with another in History. I'd started to look at getting another one in Behavioral Health, since I didn't know what I wanted to do, when my dad jokingly suggested I should just teach if I was going to keep going to school. It made sense I guess so…well…here I am. Except I can't deal loud noises, so teaching in a classroom didn't work out well for me; that's why I switched to online classes."

As she spoke she watched his reaction carefully, trying to judge how he'd react. She knew that some people, when they found out how long she'd been teaching for, assumed that she was older than she looked, but he didn't seem to. The reason she thought that was because instead of looking startled, which usually precluded the surprised "how old are you?" question or the uncomfortable excuse to shuffle away, he looked happy.

Adeline was about to open her mouth to ask something when he suddenly spoke up, the words seeming to tumble from his mouth. "I have 3 PhD's – Chemistry, Engineering, and Mathematics – and a B.A's in Psychology and Sociology. I have an IQ of 187 so I'm a certified genius. A lot of people thought that I should teach and I do guest lecture some times when I actually have free time, but it's not often. However, I thought that I'd do more good and be more challenged in the FBI so I went that route, and definitely enjoy it. I also seem to miss a lot of social cues so I don't know if I'd be able to effectively teach students since it would probably be like high school all over again just with me as the teacher."

Laughing lightly, Adeline nodded in understanding. "Well it's great to meet you…um…sorry I don't think we exchanged named. I'm Adeline Smithton."

The man seemed startled again at the mention of the fact that they hadn't exchanged names, and blushed slightly. "Oh…um…Spencer Reid." He seemed to want to say more when his phone beeped in his pocket, alerting him to something.

Quickly Spencer, as she now knew his name to be, answered the phone, a serious look on his face and spoke a few quick words. It was obvious that something serious was going on, and going based off what he said he did for a living, Adeline had a fair idea what it was.

Once he was off the phone, he quickly collected his book, seeming to have forgotten her, which made her sink back in her chair with a frown. She'd enjoyed their conversation, finding it easier to speak to him than she had many other people. Before he hurried away, though, he turned back around to face her, a nervous look on his face akin to the one that he'd had at the beginning of the conversation. "Um…it was nice talking to you. I, ah, have to go…work. Maybe when I get back we can talk some more? If you come here often, I mean."

Nodding quickly, Adeline tried to hide the giddy smile on her face. "Yeah, I mean…of course. Definitely. I frequent here most week days pretty early in the morning to about lunch time…I find it easier to work here than at home since my neighbors yell at each other a lot in the mornings and it's pretty quiet here since not many people frequent it. So I guess I'll see you when you get back…if we're here at the same time, I mean." She babbled before biting her cheek to stop.

Spencer seemed pleased, though, and smiled before turning quickly and hurrying out the door, obviously in a hurry to get to wherever.

As he left, Adeline sank more comfortably in her chair, blowing out an embarrassed breath even as she shot a scowling look in Charlotte's direction - as she was laughing openly at her. She couldn't believe that she met someone smarter than her. While she was considered a prodigy when it came to English and she picked up on History easily, she was a good twenty points or so below his IQ. It was refreshing and she had to admit that she hoped she'd meet him again.

Turning her attention back to her quickly cooling coffee and what she'd gone to the coffee shop to do, she booted up the learning center webpage and checked her messages from her students.

SR SR SR SR SR SR SR

Spencer took his seat at the round table where the team did their case briefings, trying to ignore the curious looks he was getting from Morgan and JJ. It was rare that he came into the office last and he knew that the other seasoned profilers would quickly pick up on the fact that for once he was. Thankfully Hotchner quickly indicated to Garcia to start the briefing, effectively distracting the nosey profiles from questioning his timing.

Even as he tried to concentrate on the briefing, he found his mind wandering back to the coffee shop. He'd been so startled when the lady next to him had caught his attention, even more so when she'd been enthusiastic about the book he was reading. She hadn't looked the part of someone who was an academic of any kind.

Adeline's brown hair had been messily pulled back and streaked with shocking purple. She'd been wearing a pair of jeans and a loose fitting t-shirt with a pair of trainers. Her grey eyes were hidden behind a pair of thick bright pink frames as well, not something he'd think a professor would wear. When he'd first saw her in line he'd thought her more of a student the way she way she was dressed. Finding out that she was actually a professor, and at Penn State, had been more than surprising to him, but in a pleasant way he hadn't expected. When the word "prodigy" had come out of her mouth he'd actually gotten excited.

Sure he'd met other people who were geniuses before, but he hadn't really been able to connect with any of them. They were always wrapped up in their own world much like he was. There was something about Adeline, though, that had drawn him out and he thought that they'd actually connected, if only for a few moments before he had to leave. He'd had common ground to talk with her about; it had been a change of pace for someone like him who had trouble connecting with most of the people around him.

He had to admit, he found the thought of future conversations with her terrifying and yet exciting and he was looking forward to it. He was definitely going to be going back to that hole in the wall coffee shop when they got back from the case.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Thank you to those who've read the story so far. Here is the second chapter (obviously)._**

**_Disclaimer from first chapter still holds._**

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**Chapter Two**

Flipping through the files the students had submitted, Adeline resisted banging her head into the wall behind her. She was back at the coffee shop again sitting in her usual seat, having gotten there early to make sure she had her table. It was the weekend and she normally didn't go as it was too busy, but she kept telling herself that she just wanted to get out of the house. After the first few hours, though, she had to admit that she was silently hoping to see Spencer again.

He'd intrigued her. It didn't come as a surprise that he wasn't intimidated by her intelligence, like many men were, since his IQ was higher than hers, but she had to admit that it had been nice. She'd had a real conversation with him, not just one where she mumbled quick answers and pretended to be interested. Unlike so many people, he'd actually understood her.

If she was completely honest, her fascination with him was probably also the reason she was getting so aggravated with her students. He'd shown her that she wasn't the only person in the world with a love of literature and a deeper understanding of it and now that she was left with mediocre papers from students doing the bare minimum to pass her class she was ready to scream.

Taking a deep, cleansing breath, she focused back on the first essay in the group. The sound of the door chime and Charlotte's warm greeting alerted her to another customer entering into the shop, but she ignored it as she tried to get down to business. There was no way that over a hundred essays were going to grade themselves and she knew that she had a few emails from students waiting for her in her email mailbox as well.

Just as she was about the plunge into the work ahead of her, the sound of a man someone clearing their throat next to her caught her attention.

Looking up, she couldn't help the startled look that sped across her face at the sight of Spencer Reid standing there awkwardly with a cup of coffee in his hands. She could also briefly see Charlotte behind the bar laughing.

Focusing on Spencer, she smiled and motioned to the seat across from her, closing the laptop and sliding off her headphones so she'd be able to talk to him. The shop wasn't overly crowded anymore, the latest rush having filed out only moments before, but the tables had been rearranged by a larger group that had wanted to sit together so the table Spencer had sat at before was missing.

"Spencer…um…please take a seat. I mean…wont you join me? Sorry…I can help move a table back over here if you want so you can sit down." She stumbled out, suddenly flustered and not knowing what to say. While she'd definitely been hoping to see him again, part of her hadn't expected him to actually show up.

Shaking his head, his shaggy hair coming loose from behind his ear where he'd tucked it away, Spencer waved off the offer to move the table and sat down across from her. Despite his smooth motions, the blush that spread across his cheeks showed that he was just as embarrassed as she was, though if it was by her actions or his, Adeline didn't know.

"So…I take it whatever you had to do is finished now? I did a little digging, I hope you don't mind, and got more information on what you do. It's really interesting actually; I hadn't realized that the FBI had a unit like the BAU, though to be honest I'd never really thought much to look into what units there were in the FBI to begin with." Adeline babbled to break the silence that quickly descended on the table. While she wasn't against silence, actually preferred it most days, she didn't want Spencer to get up and leave because he thought she didn't want him there or because he thought her dull.

Shrugging, Spencer barely acknowledged her comment about the FBI. "I came the past two days, but you weren't here. Charlotte said that I kept coming too late in the day. While I know you said you came here on weekdays I was hoping that you'd be here today. Not that you had to be…I mean…I just…the other day's conversation was nice and I thought…"

Laughing lightly, Adeline relaxed. "My students have been more headache inducing the past few days than normal so I hadn't been hanging around the shop as long. I normally don't normally come here on weekends, as my neighbors leave for their weekend house, but I really didn't want to struggle through some bad first year essays so I guess I was hoping to find a distraction if I got out." She admitted, letting the topic change slide.

Spencer seemed to perk up at that, leaning forward slightly with a curious look on his face. "What were they suppose to write about? I remember a number of Literature classes that I took my first few years of college, some were really quite interesting."

This was what Adeline missed with most people. Genuine curiosity.

"I gave them a short poem written by John Keats called The Human Seasons and asked them to analyze the writing form and identify the characteristics of the style of poem." She explained quickly, eager to see what Spencer would have to say about it. As soon as the words left her mouth she could see the wheels turning in his mind, quickly going over what she'd said. Part of her wondered if he'd read the poem, part of her figured he had.

"Did you know that Keats was a licensed apothecary some time in 1816 after his guardian had him study medicine in a hospital? He decided that instead of using his license, though, he'd write poetry and while he wasn't considered to be a famous poet until after his death, he is considered to be one of the leading poets of his time. Some of his best work, from a critics stand point, was written based off a love he had for a woman." Spencer seemed to pull a wealth of information from his head at just a few words, though he mentioned nothing of the actual prompt that she'd given her students which was what had sparked the information dump.

Adeline couldn't say that she minded, though. She was amazed by what Spencer could recall. While she knew quite a bit about Keats, having studied him in college and in her free time among many other authors, she was fascinated with the way it seemed to take on a whole new level of meaning as Spencer spoke. He didn't just spew information at her, he seemed to enjoy the information. It was obvious that he loved the knowledge that he'd gathered and it showed with the way he spoke.

The two of them sat at that table in the coffee shop for the next couple hours chatting eagerly with each other. The topics changed quickly and varied widely, but Adeline and Spencer both didn't seem to mind. They jumped between talking about literature and psychology. Every now and then Spencer would mix it up with some off the wall statistic about something only barely related to what they were talking about and spark a new facet to their conversation.

Their coffee grew cold as they spoke, and the essays weren't getting done, but neither seemed to mind as they chatted. Spencer even seemed to relax, his posture growing less tense than it had been when he first sat down. Every now and then as he spoke his lips would dart up in a quick flash of a smile which would make Adeline smile as well.

It was only when the next rush of people came through the doors that they were interrupted.

Spencer suddenly looked nervous as he checked his watch. "Um…maybe…I mean…would you like to get out of here and get something to eat? For lunch I mean. It's actually after what most people would consider to be time for lunch, which is typically between the hours of twelve and one, but we seemed to have talked through that time window. Did you know that lunch, or the meal taken at noon-time, was originally called Dinner? It still is in many European areas as well as in some places in Canada and even the United States. Also, in many farming communities, lunch is typically the biggest meal of the day as opposed to supper."

Smiling broadly at the random facts, Adeline nodded slightly. "A lot of my family say dinner instead of lunch, it's fairly interchangeable for us. I think it would also make sense that lunch would be the bigger meal of the day for farming communities as often they work late and most likely wouldn't want to eat a heavy meal right before they were to lay down as it probably wouldn't sit well throughout the night."

She enjoyed the random facts that Spencer seemed to know, even if they weren't really relevant to what was going on.

Realizing what he said, though, she frowned and shook her head slightly. "Ah…I hadn't realized that it had gotten so late already. I actually am about to be running late for a call conference with one of my students. Um…maybe next time, though?"

At her words, Spencer seemed to deflate slightly. Before he could sulk too much, though, Adeline quickly fished a pen out of her bag as well as a sticky note. She was sure that she could rattle off her information and he'd remember it, after all he had an extremely superb memory, but writing it down seemed more official somehow. "Here…my phone number. Since your work schedule is probably pretty crazy and all. You can call me or text me if you want and we can set up a time to get together or something."

Looking at the bright pink post it note in his hands, Spencer seemed stunned for a moment before he smiled and nodded. "I would like that, thank you. I guess I'll talk to you later then."

Smiling back, suddenly happier knowing that she'd for sure hear from him again, Adeline quickly packed away her things. At least, she hoped that she heard from him again. She knew that sometimes when a guy got a girl's number he didn't bother calling or texting, just like it could be the other way around. Spencer was smart and cute; there was no guarantee that he'd call her.

Pushing away the thoughts, she tried to focus on the positive. He did say that he'd come to the shop a few other times to try and see her again, which was a good sign that he'd most likely contact her now that he had her number.

Saying a final good-bye, she hurried out of the coffee shop, turning her mind to the phone conference she had coming up.

SR SR SR SR SR SR SR

Staring at the bright pink post-it note in his hand, Spencer took a moment to collect his thoughts before leaving the coffee shop. He hadn't expected to see her that day, not really knowing what drove him to the shop when he knew that she'd said she didn't normally go on weekends. To be honest, he didn't know why he went in the first place. Sure, she'd been interesting when he'd first met her, but he wasn't a lady's man like Derek Morgan. He was awkward and socially inept at the best of times, but when confronted with a pretty lady it seemed to double so he just avoided it.

Despite what some of his coworkers seemed to think about him, he did have some experience with the opposite gender. Normally he'd win a girl over with magic tricks, but he still had a hard time connecting with them beyond that. Most of the time, he found that the effort it took him to talk to a female and gain her interest wasn't worth the trouble since he stumbled with his words and had to be careful about what he said as he didn't want to drive them away with pointless facts.

When Adeline had first talked to him, he'd assumed it would turn out like all the rest of the times that he'd actually tried to hold a conversation with a female. To a degree he'd been right, he'd stumbled over some of his words and spouted random facts at her from time to time, but he'd been wrong in the way she'd react. She'd been right along with him with the nerves, it seemed, and she hadn't minded the facts that he spouted like a protective barrier. In fact, she'd seemed to enjoy them an found them fascinating. Perhaps it was because of that and the fact that she'd been able to hold a conversation with him that he'd sought her out again.

Carefully folding the note, though he'd already memorized the writing on it, he tucked it away in his pant pocket before gathering up his cup and heading out, throwing away his trash as he went.

He hadn't gone far from the coffee shop before his phone started ringing.

Slightly agitated, as there were only a few people who'd be calling him, he pulled out his phone and curtly answered. "Reid."

"Hey, sorry, I know that you all just got back from a case not a few days ago, but we have another one. This time it's local, so no need for your Go Bag. More info at the debriefing at the round table; when will you be able to get here? Hotch wants to do the debriefing in about an hour, but it is the team's day off so he said if anyone can't get there in an hour that he'd postpone the debriefing until everyone can get here." The voice of the team's technical analyst, Penelope Garcia, rang over the phone like he expected.

Knowing this was what he'd signed up for, Reid nodded absently. "I can be there in an hour…need to grab a bite to eat for lunch on the way I guess. Do you want anything?" He'd been brought up to be polite.

The light laughter of the sometimes outrageous girl came over the phone at his offer. "That's sweet Junior G-man, but I'll pass. However, I totally recommend that new sub place a few blocks down from the office; they have a killer menu and are absolutely delicious."

Mumbling a quick sign off with a promise to be at the office within the hour, Spencer hung up the phone and changed his route to head towards the office. He'd taken the subway before, not wanting to drive, so he headed for the nearest terminal. He didn't know why he was so irritated at having been called in. Normally it didn't bother him.

Within fourty-five minutes he was in the bullpen, sitting at his desk listening to the chatter that floated through the room. He was still thinking about Adeline and her contact information that was burning a hole in his pocket. Part of him wondered if she was done with her conference call and wanted to call her to see how it went. He'd also remembered a few books that he thought she'd like to read which he wanted to suggest to her and, if she'd already read them, get her opinion on.

How soon was too soon to call her, though? Also, did her giving him her contact information mean that she was interested in him in more than a platonic way? What if she expected him to call and ask her out on a date? He wasn't sure he liked her like that; he just knew that he enjoyed talking to her. Sure she was pretty, even a blind man would be able to see that, but as he grew out of his adolescents, he'd found that he wanted something more than just pretty when it came to females he liked. He wasn't sure if she met that or not.

"What's up, Pretty Boy? You look like you're thinking harder than usual." Derek Morgan's voice brought Spencer out of his thoughts and back into reality.

The older male had been a good friend to Spencer since they'd started working together. At times he took his jokes a little far, but Spencer knew that he meant well. Derek was also notorious as a lady's man, one of the things that he liked to tease Spencer about. The fact that Spencer had no "game", as Derek liked to put it, had been something that Derek had tried fixing a few times before giving up for the most part.

Deciding there was no one else better to ask, Spencer shrugged slightly and turned to fully face his colleague. "How do you know when a girl possibly likes you more as then just a potential friend and expects you to make the first move?"

Judging by the choking sound and the shocked look, his question had thrown Derek off as well as caught the other team member's attention.

"Do you think a girl might be hinting at you that she wants you to ask her out?" Derek asked, a grin quickly spreading across his face. "Our Pretty Boy is growing up!"

Rolling his eyes at the immaturity, Spencer frowned and shrugged again. "I don't know. I met her right before our last case. We ran into each other again today, but she had to rush off shortly before I got called in for this case. Before she left she gave me her phone number and said that I should contact her so we could set up a time to get together. She wasn't exactly more specific." He decided it best to not mention that he'd gone looking for her two other days before running into her. Especially since he wasn't sure why he'd done it, he didn't want them to come up with some rash opinion.

Before Derek could answer, JJ piped up. "While a lot of guys would take that as a female being interested in more, I don't think that's necessarily true. I'd say that you should just meet up with her as friends and if she wants something more then she'll probably give you a stronger hint than that. Do you even want to meet up with her again? Are you interested in her?"

Thankfully Spencer was saved from having to answer her questions by Penelope calling for them to go to the meeting room to be debriefed. How was he supposed to tell them that he wasn't sure…at least about being interested in her? He definitely wanted to meet up with her to talk more, he just didn't know why.


End file.
